On Sept. 23 and 24, the women’s volleyball team split their opening weekend of SUNYAC play at Buffalo State College.
According to head coach Jen Salmon, there were “moments good [and] moments bad. It was honestly split right down the middle.”
In the opening match against the host, Geneseo dropped a three set decision, 12-25, 23-25 and 22-25. Senior Kat Strickland and sophomore Alex Wende led the offense with nine and seven kills, respectively. This was the first time that Wende played since sitting out due to injury; however, she wasn’t 100 percent recovered. Junior Laura Galvin posted 22 digs.
“Buff State was a surprise,” Salmon said. “They came out the best they played all season. There were no real holes in their system. Offensively [and] defensively they were solid … We never played our game. It was probably a combination of them forcing us out of our system, but a lot of it had to do with mental [and] lack of focus errors.”
In the second game of the day, the squad “got the job done” and swept SUNY Oswego in three sets, 25-14, 25-17 and 25-14. Freshman Jessica Prater posted nine kills to lead the Knights. Sophomore Noelle Morrison tallied 20 assists while classmate Julia Gangloff added 13.
On Saturday Sept. 24, Geneseo defeated SUNY Brockport in a close battle, 25-22, 25-23 and 25-23.
Strickland and Wende led the offense with nine and six kills, respectively. Morrison dished out 28 assists, while Galvin posted 10 digs.
In the final game against SUNY Fredonia, Geneseo fell in three sets, 24-26, 16-25 and 23-25. Strickland pounded 13 kills, while Prater added seven. Morrison tallied 28 more assists, while Galvin and senior Alex Hughes combined for 28 digs.
“Against Brockport we executed our game plan and played really well,” Salmon said. “But against Buff State and Fredonia, at key points we lost focus. We were up … but then lost, things like that. We definitely do well and poorly as a team. We definitely work as a team, but unfortunately when we’re off, we’re off as a team.”
The Knights are now 11-7 overall and travel to Nazareth College for the Purple and Gold Invitational on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
“This weekend’s going to be fun, ‘cause we’re playing Heidelberg [University of Ohio], who’s ranked 8th in the nation, but I’m excited for matches like that.”
Geneseo will also face Medaille College and host Nazareth, both for the second time this season.
“I want a full weekend of consistent play,” Salmon said. “The wins and losses aren’t even important at this point. Consistent matches all weekend is more important.”